


Tripping

by down



Series: Gap Year [1]
Category: Magic Knight Rayearth
Genre: Gen, Post-Canon, Road Trips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-24 02:24:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13801404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/down/pseuds/down
Summary: The magic knights are on a road trip. A real one. In the USA. With a car, and now a dodgy motel, and this seemed like a good idea when they planned it?





	Tripping

**Author's Note:**

> For fan_flashworks challenge 'murder'
> 
> No insult meant to Texas, we drove through large chunks of it not too long ago XD. The girls are still Japanese in this, just on holiday. This is set back in about 2000 and I have it from a Reliable Source (my wife) that gas-station sandwiches from places in the middle of nowhere really are to be avoided or they'll probably murder you.

Umi flopped back on the lone bed, and rolled off it again in a hurry when it made a terrible creaking noise and the springs poked her in the back. “…I think that bed might be a murder device,” she warned the others, as they followed her into the motel room. “Are we sure we should be staying here?” 

“There isn’t anywhere else,” Fuu pointed out, peering through rain-splattered glasses at her. “It at least seems… clean?” She ended the sentence more uncertainly than she’d started it, peering at the dingily lit room.

Umi snorted, and came over to help Hikaru pull the suitcases from the door so they could shut the unseasonably frigid air out. “Maybe don’t clean your glasses until you leave, then you can keep thinking that,” she advised. 

Shaking her head (and throwing water everywhere), Hikaru turned one of her best disappointed looks on Umi. “They seem really nice people downstairs! And look, the sheets look clean, I think the carpet’s just a little old.” As the carpet was a melange of three shades of brown Umi would describe as ‘mould-coloured’ in a pattern she swore would look at home in the 60s, ‘old’ was the kindest thing that could be said about it. Added to the fact the walls were a terrifying beige and the bathroom suite was an olive green, the whole place felt somewhat surreal.

Umi looked at the single chair, over at the bed again, and decided she’d sit on top of her suitcase instead. “Well, I think this is at least an authentic road-trip experience,” she said, unable to stay so grumpy at the sight of Hikaru and Fuu staring about and attempting not to look horrified. 

They were three months into a full year of round-the-world sightseeing, packing in as much of their homeworld as they could before moving to Cephiro next year, and the portion in the United States had proven ‘interesting’ since they got here. They’d decided on renting a car and seeing what the ‘american road trip’ tradition was all about - all three of them had learned to drive while they were in university, in preparation for this year of travelling, so they could trade off who was behind the wheel. But they’d had to change the first car when it broke down twenty miles out of the airport, and the two days since then had mostly been spent driving about and trying to find anywhere which sold a decent road map, culminating in a torrential downpour and swift dusk this evening chasing them off the road to the only accommodation around. 

Texas apparently went on forever, especially when you didn’t know where you were. Though they could have left the state by now; they still didn’t have a map. They _did_ have one bed, two sheets, two pillows, and there was a cushion on the chair which would probably do as a third. It was an American sized bed, so at least they were all going to fit. 

“I don’t know about the bed trying to murder us,” Hikaru said, as she wrung rain-water from her hair, “but I might well expire from hunger if we don’t get something to eat soon.” 

“This place doesn’t exactly have a restaurant,” Umi pointed out. “I didn’t see anything but one of those diner places as we came through, either, and the lights were off there. There was one of those pancake places, but given it didn’t have a roof, I think they’re renovating.” 

Fuu sighed, looking speculatively out of the window. “I’d love some gyoza right now,” she said, and the thought hit Umi in the stomach. “Or okonomiyaki, or stew, or-” 

“I don’t think we’re going to find the first two,” Umi muttered. She looked out of the window again, sighed, and squared her shoulders. “Okay. Which of you is gonna come with me, and which of you is staying here to make sure our stuff doesn’t get stolen?” 

“Umi!” Hikaru protested, but she was laughing a little. “That only nearly happened _once-_ ”

“ _Once so far,_ ” Umi retorted. “Well? Fuu?” 

“I’m not sure I’ll be able to see much outside,” Fuu said, putting newly-clean glasses back on her face and then trying not to wince as the true glory of their room came into focus. “Where are you planning on going, anyway?” 

Umi pointed out the window. “There’s a gas station across the way. I figure at least they should have enough chocolate to keep us going, and some crisps. How about you, Hikaru? Up for a run outside?” 

“Okay,” Hikaru grinned at her. “Maybe they’ll have popcorn, too.” 

oOo

Half an hour later, they were back, spilling plastic bags onto the bed which were _mostly_ full of chocolate and crisps, several bags of pre-popped popcorn, and a couple of bags of nuts - but there were also several bottles of water, two oranges and a banana (which were the entire contents of the fruit basket), and a large road atlas which Hikaru brandished proudly as they got in the door. “We know where we are!” She declared, as Umi and Fuu started to empty the bags onto the bed - Fuu looking bemused at the two cans of what looked like solid meat at the bottom. Umi shrugged at her.

“I figured we could eat it with the crisps, there’s a ring-pull on them. They had some sandwiches but they looked like they actually would murder us, so we left them. Also, we’ve driven in a very big circle all day.” 

“We probably want to actually drive up the coast tomorrow rather than wandering about here,” Hikaru said, spreading the map out on the bed so Fuu could see as she pointed out where they were - and where they’d been. “If we’d known where the big cities were relating to each other, we’d have been fine. But now we have a map! And directions to breakfast, about an hour up the road. And we should hit one of these towns by evening, they’re big enough to have hotels and food.” 

“More than here, anyway,” Umi said, with a grin as she abandoned the bed to find one of the towels and dry off a little. It was going to be an interesting meal, but with all three of them sat on it, the bed wasn’t making quite such terrible noises - if the mattress really was that bad, she’d just curl on top of Hikaru anyway, Hikaru didn’t mind. And she had a packet of cards in her bag. “Who wants to play poker for their pick of the fruit?”

“It does seem appropriately american,” Fuu said, with a straight face, and both of them grinned at Hikaru - who disliked oranges and was terrible at poker. 

“Tell you what, lets play for chocolate instead. We could actually bet with that,” Umi said, relenting, and Hikaru threw an orange at her with a laugh. 

oOo

Next morning they were up early - that mattress did not encourage sleeping in! - but full of cheerfulness as they wandered into the sunlight, eating the last of the chocolate for a first-breakfast. The storm had blown over, the sky was clear, and the map was given pride of place in the front of the car. It promised to be a good day - especially once they found _second_ -breakfast.


End file.
